Where does “단물약” come from?

단물약 (Korean) comes from Korean 단물, from Korean 단, from Japanese 短冊, from Japanese 短, from Middle Chinese 短 — short.

단물약 (Korean): syrup

Definitions

  1. syrup

Ancestry of “단물약”, step by step

단물약 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Korean 단물

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean단물juice
2Korean단sheaf; end; cape
3Japanese短冊tanzaku; A small strip of paper that can be written on, especially those hung on bamboo or other trees during Tanabata
4Japanese短fault, weak point; minor
5Middle Chinese短short

via Korean 약(藥)

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Korean약(藥)—
Every word from Middle Chinese 短 →Every word from Japanese 短 →Every word from Japanese 短冊 →